During the First World War the New Zealand Government was fighting an internal battle with 'shirkers'- the men who (for whatever reason) were not enlisting in the forces even though they were eligible to. Shirkers were portrayed in newspapers and posters as weak men who looked unkempt and shifty, as opposed to the strong, masculine soldier. Some papers fretted that the shirkers would father children while the soldiers were away, weakening the New Zealand national character.

Of course, given the punishments and social stigma, it took as much courage to be a conscientious objector as it did to sign up for the army. In Bulls, a local blacksmith refused to serve young men who were not in the army without a good reason and many such men were accosted in the street and on public transport.

They were also accosted in the cinema via government promotional slides like this one. The expensive 'dress circle' seats were taxed to help pay for the war- but the cheaper 'stalls' below were exempt as they provided an important boost to morale. By 1917  it was stated in Parliament that “not less than 550,000 people go to picture entertainments every week." What better place to show a recruiting slide?

This slide urges uncommitted men to join the forces by emphasising the loss of pride of having others fight for them, and highlights the personal contribution they needed to make to the war effort. 

In today's world of instant world wide communications it is easy to forget just how isolated people on the 'home front' felt during the First World War. Most combat was taking place on the opposite side of the world from New Zealand, and photographs from Gallipoli took six months to arrive and be printed. Even the newsreels showing 'the front' and army camps were screened months after the events happened. So, a glimpse of the men in command of the allied armies provided some sense of control and connection.

General Foch was an innovative commander and one who was big enough to admit mistakes and learn from them. On the 26th of March 1918 this French General was appointed the head of all Allied forces- a big change from the previous squabbling between the British and French commands. Foch's authority did not extend to overruling national commands, but he could at least coordinate strategy and direction of battle and by being the 'head' of all armies he could shelter his subordinate commanders from political interference. 

In today's world of instant world wide communications it is easy to forget just how isolated people on the 'home front' felt during the First World War. Most combat was taking place on the opposite side of the world from New Zealand, and photographs from Gallipoli took six months to arrive and be printed. Even the newsreels showing 'the front' and army camps were screened months after the events happened. So, a glimpse of the men in command of the allied armies provided some sense of control and connection. 

General Pershing was the commander of the American Forces, who entered the war on the Allied side in 1917. Pershing adamantly refused to integrate his troops into the other Allied armies, preferring to fight for the most part as a separate force. His men were ill-trained for the realities of trench warfare and suffered terrible casualties but by sheer numbers made an impact on the front line.

Judging by the consistent hand colouring this slide was part of a set made in 1918. MAVtech has others from this series on Kete.

In today's world of instant world wide communications it is easy to forget just how isolated people on the 'home front' felt during the First World War. Most combat was taking place on the opposite side of the world from New Zealand, and photographs from Gallipoli took six months to arrive and be printed. Even the newsreels showing 'the front' and army camps were screened months after the events happened. So, a glimpse of the men in command of the allied armies provided some sense of control and connection. 

General Joffre was a senior commander of the French Army who won early victories during the war. However, a string of losses eroded his position and by the time this slide was made he was likely no longer in direct command and instead had an advisory role. 

Judging by the consistent hand colouring this slide was part of a set made in 1918. MAVtech has others from this series on Kete. These slides were certainly shown in cinemas, but may also have been shown via magic lanterns to smaller audiences as well.

This slide is another from MAVtech's collection which focuses on the New Zealand Government's recruitment efforts during World War One. A sticking point for many men was leaving their wives and sweethearts if they enlisted, and this slide tries to counter this. It suggests that even if women were saying for men to go, they were thinking it and hit this point home by insinuating that the 'real men' were in uniform. 

The slide even portrays the New Zealand nation as a young women, urging men to leap to her defence. At the same time as this slide screened there were posters pitched towards women. These said that if a man would abandon his country in a time of need he would abandon his wife as well. 

Despite these slides many men were understandably cautious about signing up and risking being shot, and the government introduced conscription in 1916.

This was the slide that everyone wanted to see. It was made to celebrate the successful end of the First World War and was shown in cinemas of jubilant crowds.

But it didn't go to plan.

The returning troops brought with them strains of influenza which struck communities with a vengeance. Medical staff were ill equipped to deal with this new invisible enemy and the government was forced to close cinemas, along with many other public places.. A month later the cinemas opened again, but with an influenza which claimed 8,573 lives the slide would have been shown to a more muted audience 

Amid the scores of patriotic songs of the First World War was a pacifist tune just as well known in its day: "I Didn't Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier". Written in America before their entry into the war as a way to keeping the country in peace, the song implores mothers to seek peace, least their sons become casualties. The lyrics went like this....

 Ten million soldiers to the war have gone,

Who may never return again.

Ten million mothers' hearts must break

For the ones who died in vain,

Head bowed down in sorrow

In her lonely years,

I heard a mother murmur thru' her tears:

Chorus

I didn't raise my boy to be a soldier,

I brought him up to be my pride and joy.

Who dares to place a musket on his shoulder,

To shoot some other mother's darling boy?

Let nations arbitrate their future troubles,

It's time to lay the sword and gun away.

There'd be no war today,

If mothers all would say,

"I didn't raise my boy to be a soldier."

Verse 2

What victory can cheer a mother's heart,

When she looks at her blighted home?

What victory can bring her back

All she cared to call her own?

Let each mother answer

In the years to be,

Remember that my boy belongs to me! 

The song became a hit amongst pacifists around the world and was known in New Zealand. It was mostly derided in the press- when it was sung at an Australian socialist rally soldiers who were in the audience disrupted the song, to the approval of most New Zealand papers but to the condemnation of the socialist 'Maoriland Worker' publication. 

Nonetheless, the song was effective enough for recruiting authorities to try and counter it. Patriotic films referenced the song before the hero decided to stand up for his country and join anyway. The slide shown here was displayed as part of a screening at the cinema and urges young men to join whilst quietly disparaging the song.

There are some common visual themes used here which are also seen in contemporary posters and political cartoons. Note the straight back and clean face of the military recruit and compare these to the hunched back of the 'shirker' whose hands rest idly in his pockets and whose face has a vacant expression. 

Of all the recruiting slides in MAVtech's collection, this one has the most fascinating background!

MAVtech's collection holds many cinema slides- but this is one of the most intriguing. Unlike almost every other slide it has no writing on it (including on the edges) and is striking arranged with lots of 'blank space'. 

What was it used for?

It is impossible to be certain- but it probably celebrated the victory of the British Empire after World War One. The slide was found in a box with many other First World War slides, including one celebrating the victory. Although New Zealand's flag was flown by ships since 1869 (and was 'official' since 1902) it wasn't formally flown in battle until the Second World War, so the presence of the Imperial Union Jack would have made a lot of sense on a local slide. 

(The New Zealand flag was flown during the Gallipoli campaign at Quinn's Post- however this was unofficial and not ordered by the military command).

Britannia, the human personification of Britain, sits at the bottom of the slide.

MAVtech's collection holds many cinema slides relating to war- with war bonds being a particularly popular genre. However, what makes this slide unusual is that it is from the First World War, not the second.

In 1914 many small towns were only just getting permanent cinemas established so advertising would have been quite new. This may explain the unusual shape of this slide. It is a copy of a popular recruiting poster so its message would have been amplified.

It is not known exactly when in the war this slide was displayed- but we do know that voluntary enlistments were not enough to keep the ranks filled- on the 1st of August 1916 New Zealand introduced military conscription. 

This particular slide came from a Paraparaumu cinema (but the same design was probably shown nationally). It shows a lot of wear- not unexpected given that it is over one hundred years old! The full text read "Rally Round The Flag- We Must Have More Men"

During the First World War when New Zealanders on the 'home front' were far away from the front line and struggled to get accurate photographs published in the press, seeing photos of commanders like Haig would have been important.

Sir Douglas Haig is pictured here after his promotion to General in late 1914 but before his rise to Field Marshal in 1917. A senior commander for much of the war, he has a complicated legacy. Once nicknamed 'the master of the field' and 'the man who won the war' he is now known as 'the butcher of the Somme'- forever linked with the bloody attrition of trench warfare and backward thinking military tactics. However, historians are still divided over which of these legacies is the most deserved.

This 'magic lantern slide' was designed to be inserted into a protector (most likely powered by a lightbulb or, for bigger audiences, a carbon arc lamp) and enlarged onto a screen. Haig's photograph would have been shown in cinemas, schools and churches as well as in community meeting urging patriotism for the war. 

The corner of the slide indicates that it was made in London and it's copies would have served a similar purpose there. 

MAVtech has a broad collection of magic lantern slides- but none are more haunting than this one. We know very little about the person in this photograph. From his uniform we know  he was a lieutenant in the First World War. He is wearing a gas mask to protect against enemy chemical warfare attacks (or 'friendly' gas blowing back towards his own lines). His uniform is clean- it is unlikely he was photographed anywhere near 'The Front'.

It may have been a snapshot. Private cameras on the Western Front were banned from 22nd of December, 1914. One soldier found with a camera was sentenced to three months imprisonment with hard labour. However, the rules were often disobeyed and were sometimes laxer with regards to 'Officers' like a lieutenant. Cameras were also allowed 'behind the lines'  or off-duty, when this picture may have been taken.

But it is more likely that this was an official photograph taken to be displayed during magic lantern lectures at the home front. People were desperate for any news of the war and were eager for photographs. This soldier looks clean, well fed and comparatively relaxed for someone preparing for a chemical attack. He would have been a reassuring image for those back home.